However, right before the lunch, Rohit somehow lost his concentration and played a pull shot off Ollie Robinson, only to find Sam Curran in the fine leg. Rohit scored 36 runs from 107 deliveries with the help of six boundaries.
After Rohit’s dismissal, Indian batting witnessed a collapse as the likes of Cheteshwar Pujara (4), captain Virat Kohli (0), and Ajinkya Rahane (5) failed to capitalise on the brilliant start given to them by the opening pair.
The way Rohit got out was also discussed a lot, especially on social media, where many fans pointed out that the 34-year-old shouldn’t have played that shot which triggered the batting collapse. After the end of day play, the senior Indian batter gave his reaction to his dismissal, stating that he had to play that shot as England seamers bowled with a lot of discipline, and they (Rohit and Rahul) were not getting many loose balls.
“Not really, it is my shot (the pull shot which got Rohit out), so I’ve to play shots. As we saw in the first hour of play, we didn’t get any loose balls. Their bowlers were quite disciplined. So you have to take your odd chances when the ball is there. You have got to punish them,” said Rohit in a post-day presser.
Rohit admitted that it was disappointing to see how he got out, but he explained that one has to play his shots because English pacers were hardly giving them any chances.
“Of course, when it is around the close of play, and you get out, you feel disappointed, and that is what I’m feeling about it. But you have to be ready to play your shots as well because their bowlers are so displined that you hardly get anything. So you have got to put the balls, which are your shots and that are in your area away,” added Rohit.
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